5 minute read
‘I REVAMPED IT IN UNDER A YEAR’
t in UNDER A YEAR’
Interior designer Emma Davies is on a mission to show how rented homes don’t have to be boring magnolia boxes
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LAID BACK
‘As I like an eclectic look, I chose two Ikea sofas in the same style, but contrasting colours and materials’ W e’d been renting a modern threebedroom semi in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, for about eight years when the landlord decided to sell it,’ says Emma. ‘Searching for another place wasn’t easy, as anything decent gets snapped up quickly.
However, this three-storey house in nearby Todwick came up. Although it was a bit shabby and needed decorating, which put other people off, the village is lovely and the location was perfect, as it’s right by my daughter’s school. With four bedrooms, it was also much bigger, which was brilliant as I got the opportunity to buy more furniture!
Getting started
The lettings agency said we could decorate and I can always re-paint the walls in more neutral colours if we move on in future. Since getting the keys in March 2021, I’ve decorated the entire house, which was a horrible yellowy magnolia colour. As the hallway is the first room you see, I made this my first project. My husband Damian fitted a new stair carpet while I painted the walls in a warm browny pink colour. I already had the paint – Heart Wood by Dulux – as it’s one of my favourite colours. The red garage and front door had also seen better days, but a lick of teal paint made a huge difference.
Getting the look
Both the kitchen and living room have been decorated a couple of times with leftover paint. I started off with grey paint and then a midnight-blue feature wall in the living room, but I soon fell out of love with it. I’m much happier with the brown walls and Homebase wallpaper, which gives it some texture. The living room is my favourite space and best reflects
SOCIABLE SPACE
‘The freestanding island from The Natural Wood Floor Co gives us extra prep space and a place to store pans and casseroles’
and covering the horrible beige wall tiles with stickers from eBay.
My style has probably evolved over the years but I’d describe it as dark and eclectic, mixing contemporary and retro pieces. There are some great antique shops in Chesterfield and Matlock, or I’ll pick up a bargain at car-boot sales and Facebook Marketplace.
Renting tips
My mission is to encourage renters to be brave and make changes. As long as you’re making positive improvements to the property and you ask first, your landlord should be happy.
I know people always recommend Command Strips for hanging pictures, but I prefer to use picture hooks instead. You can always fill in the holes afterwards and I’ve kept all the paint colours so I could touch things up.
Lighting can also make a big difference. For instance, I wasn’t keen on the kitchen ceiling full of spotlights and
ON DISPLAY
‘I took the doors off two of the wall cabinets to show off my vintage crockery’
Do it! TILE STICKERS
Vinyl tile stickers or decals are ideal for adding interest to kitchen and bathroom splashbacks. If using on the floor, coat with an epoxy floor sealer for added durability. Clean the surface with sugar soap and warm water. Use a rubber spatula or credit card to smooth out air bubbles when applying, and a Stanley knife to cut around switches and sockets. If you’re renting, tile stickers can be removed with a hot air gun and a scraper. Try Quadrostyle, Studio, Walplus, Zazous and Etsy, who all have quality tile stickers.
Do it! FOLIAGE LAMP SHADE
If your room only has spotlights with no hanging central pendant, create a focal point around one or more of them with a DIY foliage lamp shade. Choose a design with a mesh shade, so you can easily weave in faux foliage and dried flowers. Alternatively, you can staple foliage to a plain fabric lamp shade. As you won’t see much of the shade’s exterior, focus on the interior and pick a metallic reflective inner that will bounce more light around. Attach hooks to the ceiling on either side of the spotlight, to which you can attach the metal arms of the lamp shade.
STRIPED CHEST
‘I’ve printed off pictures of the New Romantics, as we both love that era. The frames were sprayed in gold to match the handles of the bombe chest from TK Maxx’
CL ASSIC ST Y LE
‘The Ikea chair is such a classic and looks good in any room’
MAIN BEDROOM
‘We’ve had the bedroom furniture for ages. It’s good quality so I wouldn’t change it, and the dark wood works well with the Victorian Tapestry wall colour by Valspar’
wanted a focal point. Now I think it looks miles better after I attached a budget pendant shade over one of them with a hook, then dressed it up with a mix of dried and faux foliage.
Power of paint
If you’re going to be living somewhere for five years, you need to make cost-effective changes. We’re not in a position to buy a home and I couldn’t live with magnolia walls, so paint was definitely the easiest option when it came to making the house feel like ours. It’s relatively inexpensive and makes a big impact. I normally get Farrow & Ball colours matched by Valspar and the quality is brilliant.
Sometimes it can take me a while to get things right, but when I find a paint colour I love, I’ll use it in several rooms. The brown shade in the kitchen and living room, which is called Koala by Valspar, is a prime example.
Future plans
Next we might replace the flooring in the kitchen with LVT (luxury vinyl tiles) as the high-gloss floor tiles are a nightmare to keep clean. The laminate in the dining
